These are the candidates for lieutenant governor of California

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Candidates for lieutenant governor often refer to the largely symbolic and often overlooked nature of the position when discussing their ambitions for the statewide position.

It is true that the position of lieutenant governor of California is largely ceremonial. Eleni Kounalakis, the current incumbent, is next in line of succession if the governor is absent or leaves office, such as when he or she is out of state, undergoes surgery or dies. Kounalakis, whose term expires this year, also presides over the state Senate and could cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie. Most of his influence is focused on higher education, where he serves on all three boards of higher education in the state.

That’s why the four main candidates for the post in the upcoming June primary are emphasizing the impact they’d like to have on higher education, such as freezing tuition or cutting remedial courses.

Previous lieutenant governors have used the position as a stepping stone to the state’s top job, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who held the position for eight years before his 2018 election.

But it remains an almost unknown position among voters and has a bad reputation.

“I used to say that the lieutenant governor is kind of like the Seinfeld of state government because nobody knows who he is and they think it’s an unimportant job,” Gloria Romero, a Republican candidate, told CalMatters.

The leading Democratic candidates include Josh Friday, who runs volunteer programs in the Newsom administration, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, whose term expires this year, and former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.

Here’s what each candidate, in alphabetical order, said about how they would approach the job.

Josh Friday

Friday said one of his top priorities as lieutenant governor will be to try to get California colleges to certify more skilled workers to help build more clean energy projects and boost the state’s supply of renewable energy.

Before joining the governor’s office in 2019, he was chief operating officer of NextGen America, an organization that promotes sustainable practices and was founded by billionaire Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer.

He also said he would push for more student residences to be built on public land to increase enrollment and generate more revenue to curb rising higher education costs.

The former Novato mayor also stressed the need to expand the volunteer program he helped develop as director of services in Newsom’s office. He would like to see more community colleges and universities involved. In addition to Newsom’s endorsement, he has the endorsement of the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers.

Janelle Kelman

Former Sausalito Mayor Janelle Kelman wants to make community college tuition free and expand training programs for high-demand jobs as a member of the state’s higher education boards. However, the position of lieutenant governor is only one of 18 members of the UC Board of Regents and has limited ability to implement policy changes.

He has received support from the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and the LGBTQ Stonewall Democratic Club.

The state’s lieutenant governor has no power in regulating electricity or insurance. However, Kelman, an environmental attorney, said he would work to lower utility costs by eliminating electricity surcharges. He also indicated he would work with the insurance commissioner to lower premiums for homeowners who take preventative measures to mitigate wildfire risks.

Kelman served 10 years on the Sausalito Planning Commission and the Sausalito City Council and is the founder of a climate change nonprofit focused on sea level rise.

He also supports the construction of more student dormitories.

Fiona Ma

One way Ma would like to reduce housing and tuition costs is by finding other sources of revenue for California state universities outside of the general fund. Supports greater collaboration with private companies to lease spaces such as theaters on campus when not in use.

Ma has extensive experience in local and state politics: She spent six years in the Assembly after a term on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and served on the Board of Equalization for four years before being elected state treasurer in 2019.

As treasurer, she issued housing bonds to California universities, which she says gave her a “different perspective” on how to build more dormitories.

“Some of them have land and work with real estate developers who specialize in building student residences,” he said.

Ma has the support of the construction and hotel trade unions. In 2021, a former employee accused her of sexual harassment claiming he forced her to share a hotel room with her and buy her gifts. State with public funds settles out of court for $350,000 in 2024.

Ma has repeatedly denied the allegations and called the case “frivolous”.

It took three years of her life to deal with the legal process, but voters chose her anyway, she said. “I still get the same support as when I first ran in 2018,” Ma said. “I got even more support for my bid for lieutenant governor.”

Gloria Romero

Romero, a former Democrat-turned-Republican, supports school vouchers so parents can use taxpayer money to pay for private school education, something teachers unions strongly oppose. He also supports reducing remedial courses to help students complete their degrees faster.

Romero, a former Assembly member and the first woman to become Senate Majority Leader, represented East Los Angeles in the state Legislature for 12 years as a Democrat until 2010. She switched parties in 2024 and announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor in joint formula with Steve Hilton one of the leading Republican candidates for governor.

As for how he will approach negotiations with the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature and on multiple boards, as one of the few Republicans, Romero said he will meet individually with each colleague to see where their priorities align.

Michael Tubbs

Tubbs aims to return to office to help reduce higher education costs, more than a decade after rising to political prominence in Stockton as one of the county’s youngest major-city mayors.

His elevation as the city’s first and youngest black mayor, just 26 years old in 2016, brought him national attention as the son of a single mother raised in a poor neighborhood who managed to get a full scholarship to Stanford.

He supports freezing enrollment at all public universities by cutting “redundant administrative red tape,” eliminating remedial courses that don’t count toward graduation requirements, and streamlining programs for high-demand sectors like nursing.

Tubbs is a special economic adviser to the governor and leads the nonprofit organizations Poverty in California and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, dedicated to implementing universal basic income pilot programs in cities across the state. emblematic initiative from his term as mayor.

California’s main public employee union, Service Employees International, supports Tubbs.

For the record: This story has been updated to correct Fryday’s previous post on NextGen. He was COO, not CEO. In addition, Ma did not receive the endorsement of the Democratic Party. The party has not endorsed any candidate in this race.